Canada and France opened consulates in Nuuk on Friday, a diplomatic show of support for Denmark and Greenland amid persistent pressure from the United States over the island.
The moves come after months of heated attention on Greenland following public comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting the United States should gain control of the island. Those remarks — including proposals to buy Greenland — alarmed European and NATO partners and prompted urgent diplomatic discussions at international fora.
“In a sense, it’s a victory for Greenlanders to see two allies opening diplomatic representations in Nuuk,” said Jeppe Strandsbjerg, a political scientist at the University of Greenland. He added that many Greenlanders appreciate the international expressions of support in response to the U.S. rhetoric.
Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, attended the opening of Ottawa’s consulate and is expected to meet with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss Arctic security cooperation. Ottawa announced plans for the Nuuk office in late 2024, anticipating renewed U.S. attention to the region. Canada’s consulate shares a building with Iceland’s consulate.
Canada’s Foreign Ministry said the new mission will provide consular services to Canadians, deepen bilateral and commercial ties, expand people-to-people mobility, and bolster cooperation on Arctic governance and security.
France’s consulate is the first established on the island by an EU member state. Paris said its foreign minister will visit the mission within weeks and reiterated France’s commitment to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark. President Emmanuel Macron had announced plans for a French presence during a visit last year, framing the move as solidarity after the U.S. takeover talk.
Jean-Noel Poirier, a diplomat who previously served as ambassador to Vietnam and Libya, was named France’s consul general and arrived in Nuuk on Friday. Poirier said his first priority will be to listen to Greenlanders, understand their positions, and confirm France’s support in line with Greenlandic and Danish wishes.
The diplomatic openings follow other recent steps: the U.S. reopened a mission in Nuuk in 2020, the European Commission opened an office in 2024, and Greenland has maintained formal ties with the EU since 1992, the U.S. since 2014, and Iceland since 2017. Denmark and Greenland say they are willing to discuss enhanced regional security measures but insist sovereignty and territorial integrity remain non-negotiable. A U.S.-Denmark-Greenland working group has been created to address American security concerns in the Arctic.